Wire - 925 Sterling Silver - 18 gauge Soft - By the Foot

Wire - 925 Sterling Silver - 18 gauge Soft

.925 Sterling Silver. Use 18 gauge for head pins and eye pins and for beads with small holes. Half-hard sterling silver wire can used for rings, bracelets, earrings and more. It is firm and holds its shape well. Can be fired in place when first depletion gilded. Use to make bezels to frame gemstones and other objects.

Note: This wire may appear white. Polishing will remove this protective coating. 

This product is sold by the foot. When ordering more than 1 foot, we always try to send out one piece; however, sometimes this is not possible. If you need one complete piece, please say so in your order comments and we will contact you if we are unable to do so.

Depletion Gilding Tips

Depletion gild sterling silver before firing in place. Depletion gilding will bring up a skin of fine silver on the surface of the metal by oxidizing and then dissolving the copper near the surface. To depletion gild, first heat the sterling silver with a torch or in a kiln until it turns a dark charcoal gray. Then soak in Silver Prep to dissolve the oxidized copper from the surface (the surface will appear white). Repeat this process until you cannot darken the surface of the metal with the heat source. For small items such as wires, findings, and stone settings, 2 rounds is usually enough. For larger pieces, 3 or 4 rounds may be required. Rinse the pickled item and embed or paste on the sterling component. When the added silver clay is completely dry, fire at no more than 1200°F / 677°C for 30 minutes.